Forty-six Ivorian soldiers recently pardoned by Mali's junta flew home to Ivory Coast's Abidjan airport on Saturday after around six months in captivity, footage on state television showed.
Their return signals the apparent resolution of a diplomatic standoff between the West African neighbours that also worsened Mali's already tense relations with regional powers.
Emerging from the plane, each soldier held a small Ivorian flag and smiled as he shook hands with Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara who was waiting to greet them at the airport.
